Nineteenth-century chemistry viewed molecular bonds as rigid mechanical hooks; Linus Pauling revealed that chemical bonds are dynamic quantum mechanical resonance clouds. By introducing orbital hybridization and electronegativity scales, Pauling transformed chemistry from an empirical guesswork craft into a predictive mathematical science.
In the early twentieth century, physicists were unraveling the mysterious quantum behavior of isolated subatomic particles, but chemists were still depicting molecules with rigid wooden sticks and ball models. Science could not explain why a single carbon atom formed four identical, directional bonds in diamonds and living tissue.
Linus Pauling bridged physics and chemistry by proving that electron waves blend together inside molecules. Like musical notes harmonizing into a rich chord, different atomic electron orbitals blend into hybridized shapes that reach outward in perfect three-dimensional tetrahedral geometry.
This foundational theory turned chemistry into an exact predictive science. By enabling the structural discovery of DNA and proteins, by predicting chemical reactions before mixing beakers, and by guiding computer-aided drug design, Pauling’s quantum rules built modern molecular medicine.
THE NATURE OF THE CHEMICAL BOND. APPLICATION OF RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE QUANTUM MECHANICS AND FROM A THEORY OF PARAMAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE STRUCTURE OF MOLECULES
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTTHE NATURE OF THE CHEMICAL BOND. APPLICATION OF RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE QUANTUM MECHANICS AND FROM A THEORY OF PARAMAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE STRUCTURE OF MOLECULESLinus. PaulingCite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1931, 53, 4, 1367–1400Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1931Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 April 1931https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja01355a027https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01355a027research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views11206Altmetric-Citations1038LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose Get e-Alerts
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